Kinesiology Department Masters Theses Collection

Providing Further Construct Validity for a Newly Developed Functional-Living Measure: The Movement and Activity in Physical Space (MAPS) Score

Morand, Andrea M. — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 07:33:11 PST

Older adults face many age-related changes affecting functional ability. Function is defined as the interaction between a person and their real-world environment. Currently, no objective measures of function exist assessing the environmental component. A newly-developed measure of functional-living, the Movement and Activity in Physical Space (MAPS) score, combines accelerometer and geospatial data providing quantitative measurement of real-world function. Because MAPS is a new measure of functional-living, the purpose of the current study was to provide further construct validity for MAPS as a functional-living measure in older adults and to determine what combination of 3 days, using weekend and week days, are needed to obtain reliable MAPS scores in older adults.

While there are many factors known to impact function, cognitive function has a well-known relationship with physical activity. MAPS assesses physical activity. Therefore, a relationship between cognitive function and functional-living was expected. Physical activity and physical function were also expected to be related to functional-living.

Thirty community-dwelling older adults aged 72.6 (± 7.0) completed the study. Five measures of cognitive function were used, each assessing a different cognitive domain (i.e., executive function, working memory, processing speed, reaction time, and spatial visualization). A physical function test and a measure of physical activity were also administered. Pearson r correlations were conducted among all measures to assess the correlations between MAPS scores and the measures of cognitive function, physical activity questionnaire, and physical function test. If a correlation was found to be significant between MAPS_I and MAPS_Vscores with any of the cognitive function measures, physical activity questionnaire, or physical function test, then further construct validity would be provided for MAPS as a functional-living measure in older adults.

MAPS_I and MAPS_V scores were significantly correlated with the measure of processing speed and spatial visualization. The physical function score was also significantly correlated with MAPS_Iscores. The remaining measures of cognitive function and the physical activity questionnaire were not found to be associated with functional-living, as measured by MAPS, due to several limitations in the measures used. Wearing the activity monitors during any 3-day combination of days provided reliable MAPS data. Results of the study provided evidence of construct validity for MAPS as a functional-living measure.

Impact of Mental Toughness Training on Psychological and Physical Predictors of Illness and Injury

Visram, Aisha — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 05:44:57 PDT

Intense training for prolonged periods of time without adequate recovery can result in psychological problems and increased susceptibility to illness and injury in collegiate athletes. The Cognitive-Affective Model of Athletic Burnout (Smith, 1986), a framework for understanding the relationships among stressors, identifies cognitive appraisal as the mediating factor between negative or positive health outcomes, and therefore could be a target of interventions to reduce overtraining, burnout, injury, and illness. Mental toughness, the ability to perform at one’s best regardless of the circumstances, is a modifiable psychological construct that may influence cognitive appraisal. Altering an athlete’s interpretation of stressful situations through mental toughness training could change how the athlete evaluates his/her ability to handle the stressors of training and competition, and may attenuate negative psychological outcomes associated with increased illness and injury risk. The purpose of this study was to establish cross-sectional relationships among mental toughness and psychological and physical variables, implement an online Mental Toughness Training Program, and evaluate the impact of the training on changes in mental toughness, mood disturbances, athlete burnout, coping ability, depression, physical symptoms, and perceived stress before, during, and after the intervention program. Female student athletes from a private Division III institution on the varsity Field Hockey (N=19) and Soccer (N=28) teams participated in this study. All participants (N=47) provided cross-sectional data demonstrating that mental toughness was significantly correlated with total mood disturbance (ρ=-0.51, p≤.01), depression (ρ=-0.49, p≤.01), perceived stress (ρ=-0.53, p≤.01), and athlete burnout (ρ=-.46, p≤.01). Thirty-seven athletes (N= 16 Field Hockey, N=21 Soccer) were randomly assigned by team to the six-week Mental Toughness Training Program, involving psychological skills training, or control condition, and had longitudinal data available for analysis. Mental toughness levels were significantly increased in the intervention group from pre- to post-training. The training led to significant attenuations in levels of athlete burnout, depression, physical symptoms, and perceived stress. These findings show that mental toughness is associated with psychological variables, and mental toughness training had a positive impact on variables that have been associated with increased risk of injury in collegiate athletes.

Evaluating the MeBActive-Youth as a Measure of Mental Toughness

Ghazarians, Manneh — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 01:11:51 PDT

The obesity epidemic in youth is increasing, due to the decreasing levels of physical activity within the youth population. One variable that has never been examined as a correlate of physical activity is mental toughness. Mental toughness is a psychological trait characterized by determination, resiliency, and perform optimally regardless of the circumstances. In order to evaluate this trait the MeBActive-Youth was developed. The purpose of this study was to first, evaluate the psychometric properties of the newly developed measure and secondly, to assess the relationship of mental toughness, social support and self-efficacy to physical activity. Participants (N = 106) completed a demographic survey, the MeBActive-Youth, Social Support and Exercise Survey (SSES), Physical Activity Self-Efficacy Scale (PASES), and Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A). The Rasch Rating Scale Model showed that the MeBActive-Youth had appropriate items (range of 0.53 – -0.64 logits) for the sample and measured mental toughness appropriately. All but four of the items had a fit statistic within the acceptable range, but only one item had a much higher statistic (infit = 1.68 logits). Although the four response options were all utilized appropriately, it may be beneficial to reduce them to three. There was a significant positive correlation between MeBActive-Youth and physical activity (ρ = .52, p ≤ .01) and PASES (ρ = .30, p ≤ .01). The correlation between social support from friends and family and MeBActive-Youth was not significant (ρ = .12, p ≥ .05; ρ = .17, p ≥ .05). There was a positive significant correlation between, physical activity and familial and friend social support (ρ = .47, p ≤ .01; ρ = .27 p ≤ .05), PASES (ρ = .34, p ≤ .01) and mental toughness. The MeBActive-Youth is a valid and reliable instrument yet can be improved with slight changes. This study showed that there is a strong positive correlation between mental toughness, self-efficacy and physical activity. Positive correlations were also found between physical activity and all the measured variables.

Kinematic and Kinetic Differences and Asymmetries in Gait in Children with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Gariepy, Catherine — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:41:47 PST

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is characterized by a three-dimensional curve within the spine thus creating asymmetries within the trunk. In addition to modifying the trunk geometry, these structural asymmetries change the location of the center of mass. Gait patterns in people with AIS may possibly be altered on the basis of these structural changes. The purpose of this study was to identify differences in gait kinematics and kinetics as well as left-right symmetry as a function of the severity of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Forty-five girls divided into a control group, a mild-to-moderate AIS group and a severe AIS group participated in data collection. Gait analysis included bilateral kinematic and kinetic measurements. The maximal joint ranges of motion at the ankle, knee, hip and trunk-pelvis were analyzed. Maxima and minima in the antero-posterior, medio-lateral and vertical components of ground reaction force (GRF) were compared between the three groups as well as the median frequencies obtained from a frequency spectrum analysis of GRF. A symmetry index was computed between the primary curve side and the contralateral side for each kinematic and kinetic variable. Both AIS groups differed from controls in their range of motion at the ankle and at the knee but for the AIS group with severe curves, this was also observed at the hip. Both local maxima in the vertical component and the maximum of the antero-posterior component of the ground reaction force were decreased while the local minimum of the vertical component and the antero-posterior component of GRF increased in the severe AIS group compared to the control group. Higher median frequency contents in the antero-posterior and vertical component of ground reaction force were found in the AIS groups than in controls. No difference in asymmetry was found in any of the variables between all groups. These results seem to indicate that severe AIS participants have a more altered gait pattern than the mild-to-moderate AIS group. Findings from this study point toward greater changes in kinematics and kinetics during stance between all AIS groups and the control group.

THE EFFECT OF POST-EXERCISE MEAL COMPOSITION ON INSULIN ACTION

Holtz, Kaila A. — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 10:51:18 PST

ABSTRACT THE EFFECT OF POST-EXERCISE MEAL COMPOSITION ON INSULIN ACTION SEPTEMBER 2007 KAILA A. HOLTZ B.S., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST M.S., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Professor Barry Braun INTRODUCTION: Exercise increases insulin stimulated glucose uptake (insulin action) if expended energy (kcal) is withheld following exercise, but the effect is blunted when expended energy is replaced as carbohydrate. Restricting carbohydrate and replacing expended energy as fat maintains increased insulin action in rodents; however, this effect has not been evaluated in humans. In humans, restricting carbohydrate intake following exercise may be a useful strategy to maximize the effect of individual exercise bouts on insulin action and promote gains in metabolic health over time. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if carbohydrate restriction following exercise (carbohydrate deficit) increased insulin action in sedentary, overweight adults as hypothesized. METHODS: Ten healthy, sedentary, men and women, aged 21±2 years, body fat 37.3±3.1%, and VO2peak 34.6±1.2ml×kg-1×min-1 completed three, two-day experimental conditions in random order: 1) a no-exercise baseline condition (BASE), 2) exercise followed by a high-carbohydrate meal (HIGH-CHO= 76.3±2.5% CHO), and 3) exercise followed by a low-carbohydrate meal (LOW-CHO=17.8±0.1% CHO). On DAY 1, subjects came to the laboratory (early evening) and expended 30% of total daily energy expenditure on a cycle ergometer at 70% of VO2peak. Following exercise, an isocaloric meal (HIGH-CHO or LOW-CHO) was consumed to refeed the expended energy during exercise and venous blood samples were taken to record the insulin and glucose responses to the meals. Twelve hours later (Day 2), whole-body insulin action (steady-state glucose uptake per unit insulin) was measured using a continuous infusion of glucose with stable isotope tracers. A paired t-test was used to detect differences between exercise bouts and the glucose and insulin responses to the post-exercise meals. A one-way repeated measures ANOVA was performed to evaluate the effect of experimental condition on insulin action (p<0.05, for all tests). RESULTS: Intensity (VO2peak), duration (minutes) and energy expenditure (kcal) were similar between exercise bouts. After exercise, plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were significantly higher following the HIGH-CHO meal compared to the LOW-CHO meal (p<0.001, respectively). The next morning, insulin action was similar between experimental conditions (p=0.30). Non-oxidative glucose disposal was increased during the glucose infusion in Low-CHO compared to BASE (27.2±3.2 vs. 16.9±3.5µM×kg-1×min-1, p<0.05). Carbohydrate oxidation was reduced in Low-CHO (8.6±1.3µM×kg-1×min-1) compared to High-CHO (12.2±1.2µM×kg-1×min-1), and to BASE (17.1 ± 2.2 µM×kg-1×min-1), p<0.05 respectively. Resting fat oxidation was increased in Low-CHO compared to BASE (109.8 ± 10.5 mg×min-1 vs. 80.7 ± 9.6 mg×min-1, p<0.05) and remained elevated during the glucose infusion. CONCLUSION: Limiting carbohydrate, but not energy intake after exercise (carbohydrate deficit) resulted in increased non-oxidative glucose disposal, decreased carbohydrate oxidation and increased fat oxidation during the glucose infusion, compared to baseline, indicating a favorable shift in energy metabolism. Creating a carbohydrate deficit, by withholding expended carbohydrate but not energy following exercise may be a sensible strategy to promote favorable gains in insulin action that requires further evaluation.